LOS ANGELES - City Councilmember Tim McOsker introduced a motion today to address the time delay for a dispatch worker to answer a 911 call. The motion looks to understand the root causes of 911’s delayed response time including staffing levels and hurdles to hiring.
McOsker also co-presented a motion today with Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez on the hiring and training practices for unarmed crisis response related service calls.
There are growing concerns about the wait times when calls are made to 911. From vetting to diverting to other dispatch systems, callers can experience a delay of 20-30 seconds in response time.
“20 seconds doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but when you’re experiencing a crisis, every second counts,” Councilmember McOsker. “In the middle of a life-or-death situation, being on hold is the last thing that should happen. We have a worker shortage throughout the city and the 911 dispatch workers connecting us to the help we need should be the utmost priority in hiring.”
Currently, all 911 calls are routed through the Los Angeles Police Department Dispatch System. These calls are vetted and, if needed, redirected to the Los Angeles Fire Department Dispatch System which results in a delay of 20 to 30 seconds in response time.
LAPD has implemented a guideline for answering 95% of radio calls for service within 15 seconds of the call coming in. Last year the Department averaged 17 seconds, but with staffing shortages they now average 20 seconds.
911 dispatch staff and 988 call center counselors must be trained to identify callers’ needs and seamlessly refer callers to the most appropriate service. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifelines route calls to the nearest crisis center using the caller’s area code.
911 dispatchers are civilian employees who dispatch resources after they receive and analyze 911 telephone calls using a voice radio and digital computer terminal. There are currently 131 vacancies which have impacted response times for emergency and non-emergency related services.
McOsker also co-introduced a motion with Councilmember Hernandez asking for a report on the hiring, training practices and protocols for unarmed crisis response-related service calls. The report should include procedural mapping and technology needed related to implementing a “decision tree” for unarmed crisis response related service calls.
“The creation of the Office of Unarmed Response and Safety is a critical step for Los Angeles as we continue to roll out new, life-affirming alternatives to crisis response,” said Councilmember Hernandez. “As we continue to bring new unarmed crisis response resources and programs online, we must ensure that our 911 dispatch system is equipped and supported to quickly and accurately refer calls for service.”
The motion for the Office of Unarmed Response and Safety names eight different agencies that could potentially be responding to 911 calls. With so many different resources available, and with the possibility of more pilots and programs coming online, the Hernandez-McOsker motion notes that it is “crucial that dispatchers have the tools to make swift and accurate referrals for the sake of our communities’ safety.”
Both motions request that LAPD and the Personnel Department report back to Council on staffing numbers and the details of the hiring process. The McOsker motion will next go to the Public Safety Committee and the Hernandez-McOsker motion will next go to Personnel, Audits, & Hiring Committee as well as the Public Safety Committee.
###